What do you encounter when camping?

Last summer when I was camping with my nephew a whipperwill came within 30 feet of the tent, and was singing his head off. It was very alarming at first. That was the closest I have ever been to one.

Spring of last year my brother and I were camping in a secluded area on a mountain lake, and just before day break a deer walked with in 10 feet of the tent. I heard it's dainty feet walking through the leaves, and i was very startled when she made a loud blowing sound. I have heard a buck snort, and now a doe blow. They very loud and startling.

I don't for sure, but I am pretty sure I have had a bear sniff around my tent one early morning in November. I wasn't about to get out of my warm bag to find out because it was at least a minus 5 degrees Celsius. Besides what good would it have done to try and unzip door to get a look? Would have scared poor thing off. Of course we did have polish sausages the evening before. I bet he thought we smelled real yummy.

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Great topic.

I've had moose, bear, porcupine, raccoon, single wolf, deer, snapping turtle, fox, various song birds, a great horned and screech owls. On the water a great blue heron, beaver, water snake, turtles, loon, various water foul, and otters.

Years ago I had a whipper will go through camp at night. Like you I thought it a strange sound as did the dog.

 

One evening my partner and I were having a walk around and we spotted a few random areas of pressed down/flattened grass.
She was adamant that a deer or something had caused it but I wasn't so sure.
Later that evening a deer comes right near to where we're based as if to show me that she was right!
I've never been so close to a deer in my life and didn't expect them to be where we were.
On the way home, just to make a point, a deer jumped out in front of my car, a close miss!

 

...I've had an opportunity to feed wild deer. They have such a gentleness and serene manner about them you wonder why anyone would want to shoot them.



The white tailed deer is the most popular in our neck of the woods.

 

Mule deer, moose, big horned sheep, bears (black, brown and grizzly), beavers, red fox, coyote, elk, wolverine, some birds of prey and various rodents.
I've seen tracks and scat from mountain lions, Canada Lynx, wolves and territorial markings from an alpha grey wolf but haven't encountered these animals in many years.

 

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Your list is better than mine.

 

Wow that's awsome!! Maybe I snore to loud when I sleep, or maybe it's that camp food? I know my wife sleeps better at night since I started this night shift, hmmm.

Work LeSS CAmp MoRe

 

...the secret is - if there is a secret. Be quiet at certain times of the day, keep yourself free of odours from shampoos and the like, be as still as you can and keep your eyes open.

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The Rockies, man. Has all the big bittie animals.
I will admit, to this day I am still terrified of Mountain Lions. One almost got me about 25 years ago (maybe less?) but my dog intervened right when the cat made it's move.
Also, that same day about 50 KM away a child on horseback was attacked by a mountain lion, the child's mother was seriously injured protecting her daughter.

 

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Kinda scary - but then again subtly and insanely exciting. It's what it's all about - the sudden unexpected challenge that awakens the inner primitive man. That is the difference between the weekend warrior and those of us who embrace a true wilderness experience. Where are the Rudyard Kiplings, Henry David Thoreau's, Robert Louis Stevenson's and Farley Mowhats? In our own inevitable manner - we are.

 

So far, every time I have been camping, I come across snakes! I love camping and would never give it up, though I can definitely live without seeing the snakes. When I see one, there is usually a few others around it and I tend to flip out a little bit as I am afraid of them!

 

...don't see a lot of snakes in my neck of the woods. There are just part of the scene. We need to accustom ourselves around them - they sure had to do that with us. Though..from time to time I've heard of human snakes - whatever that means.

 

Yea we have tons of snakes here too, dont get me wrong! However, I like in a huge city, and its not as common to see them around, unless your in a less populated area. Once we get out in the fields or "in the middle of no where" they come out and scare me every time!

 

Deers, centipedes, tomcats, rabbits, owls, small owls, ocelots, capibara, possums, small cocodriles, boa snakes, other people (aboriginal). I barely remember everything, but there is nothing else noteworthy to say about these encounter besides the sudden startle and curious look.

 

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Luv it. Let's see now...I can check this off on your list - deer, owls, possums, and other people then everything else would be foreign to me. I can add to my list - moose, otter, beaver, song birds, raccoons, turtles, wolves, coyotes, bears, and others living in different parts of this country could add polar bear, grizzles and others etc.

 

Now that I'm recalling some experiences. I think the most frigtening sight I ever experienced when camping is to notice a huge hunk of wasp's nest hanging from a tree's branches or ceilings. Witnessing thousand of black dots buzzing furiously clinging onto that piece of dry mud that serves as nest really conveys an unnerving feeling, and indeed I got bit several times, hurts just like someone suddenly stabs you really hard with a needle, quite similar to a scorpion sting actually. Good thing that smoke effectively scares them away from the camping site.

 

...ouch - I've never really had any trouble with yellow jackets, bees, wasps or hornets. Killer bees are in the States and are slowly headed toward Canada - they might be a problem some day.

The only biting creatures that I've had good experience with are deer flies, black flies, ticks, and the mighty mosquito.

 

I envy the posts in this thread because I miss the wildlife. In my younger days when my friends and I would go hunting in the mountains. Now our family camping is always in commercial camps with facilities. And the only wildlife we can see are birds and insects. But there is a forest reservation that we pass by where we can see monkeys in the open and bats hanging on trees. But it is not a campsite.

 

...then get back into it - what are you waiting for. If the outdoors really is your scene why sit on the sideline? Embrace the Life.